Circular cableway

ABSTRACT

A circular cableway with cableway stations and cableway vehicles movable between the cableway stations by a conveyor cable, each of the cableway stations having a boarding/alighting area with an entry zone and by an exit zone, includes at least one pair of opposing safety barriers in at last one of the entry zone or the exit zone of at least one boarding/alighting area, each of the pair of opposing safety barriers arranged opposite one another transversely to the conveying direction and which can be displaced from a closed position to an open position; and at least one detection device for detecting people in a passage area located between the pair of opposing safety barriers and through which the cableway vehicles may pass or when one of the pair of opposing safety barriers is displaced from the closed position to the open position.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application claims priority to Austrian Patent Application No. A50221/2022 filed on 6 Apr. 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to circular cableways a series of cableway vehicles carried between cableway stations by a conveyor cable and, more particularly, to a circular cableway with improved automation for boarding and alighting cableway vehicles.

BACKGROUND

Circular cableways are often used in the known manner in winter sports areas in order to transport people between two or more cableway stations, for example from a valley station to a mountain station. However, circular cableways are also increasingly used for passenger transport in urban areas. Especially in cities with unfavorable topography, circular cableways offer a cost-effective and practical alternative to known means of transportation such as subways, streetcars and buses. A circular cableway generally has a plurality of cableway vehicles, usually having either a cabin or a chair to accommodate a number of people. In most cases, either cabin lifts are used, in which the cableway vehicles only have cabins, or chairlifts are used, in which the cableway vehicles only have chairs. In addition, there is also a combination of these two designs, so-called combined lifts, where both cabins and chairs are used.

The cableway vehicles are moved in a known manner by means of a conveyor cable in a circulating movement along a closed path between the end stations. If necessary, one or more intermediate stations can also be provided between the end stations. In the case of so-called monocable cableways, the cableway vehicles are suspended from a conveyor cable, with the conveyor cable serving as both the haul cable and as support cable. In the case of multicable cableways, for example the tricable cableway (3S cableway), a number of support cables and a separate conveyor cable are used, with the conveyor cable merely serving as a haul cable for driving. In the following, for the sake of simplicity, reference is made to a chairlift in the form of a single-line cableway. However, within the scope of the present disclosure, all other circular cableways are also comprised.

Similar to the fact that driverless operation already exists in subways, there has recently been an increasing effort in the cableway sector to also achieve a higher degree of automation. In urban areas in particular, it is a vision to enable fully autonomous operation in the future, which can be carried out entirely without operating personnel. Until now, this was not readily possible due to the available sensor and control technology, especially in the winter sports sector where wintry weather conditions often prevail. Also because of the often unwieldy winter sports equipment, there is a considerable safety risk for passengers in the winter sports sector, so that operation without operating personnel who can intervene in an emergency has been unthinkable up to now.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a circular cableway that allows a higher degree of automation without compromising passenger safety.

SUMMARY

According to the present disclosure, an object is solved in that in the entry zone and/or in the exit zone of at least one boarding/alighting area of at least one cableway station, there are at least one pair of opposing safety barriers, each of the pair of opposing safety barriers arranged opposite one another transversely to the conveying direction and which can be displaced from a closed position to an open position, and at least one detection device for detecting people in a passage area located between the pair of opposing safety barriers and through which the cableway vehicles may pass or when one of the pair of opposing safety barriers is displaced from the closed position to the open position. This allows not only detection of unauthorized passage of persons in the area of the safety barriers, but also detection of persons staying in the passage area. An uninterrupted supervision by operating personnel is therefore no longer necessary.

It is advantageous if at least part of the detection device is integrated in at least one of the opposing safety barriers and/or if at least part of the detection device is arranged on a stationary building part of the cableway station, preferably laterally, below or above a cableway vehicle located in the passage area. In particular when integrating the detection device into the safety barriers, a space-saving, cost-effective easy-to-mount solution can be created.

Preferably, at least one detection device has a number of first sensor units which are designed to generate or interrupt a first sensor signal if a person is detected in the passage area. It is particularly advantageous in this context if at least one first sensor unit has an optical sensor, preferably a light barrier, a light curtain or a light grid, and/or that at least one first sensor unit has a motion detector, preferably an infrared sensor, electromagnetic sensor or sound sensor. This provides various options with which persons can be reliably detected. A combination of different sensor types is also conceivable, of course. Depending on the type of sensor, persons can be detected by generating a sensor signal or when an existing signal is interrupted, similar to a dead man's switch. For particularly good coverage of as large an area as possible, a light curtain with several parallel light barriers or a light grid with several intersecting light barriers is advantageous. The light barrier, light curtain or light grid can, for example, be arranged in such a way that the detection area lies below a passing cableway vehicle, so that the cableway vehicle is not detected by the light barrier, light curtain or light grid. This allows the detection of any passenger body parts or objects protruding downwards beyond the contour of the cableway vehicle, e.g., skis that are not on the footrests provided for them or ski poles.

Likewise, it is advantageous if a number of second sensor units are provided on at least one safety barrier, which are designed to generate or interrupt a second sensor signal when the safety barrier is displaced from the closed position to the open position, wherein the second sensor unit preferably has an electrical switch. As a result, unauthorized exits from the boarding or alighting area can be reliably detected.

Advantageously, a drive device for driving the cableway vehicles and a control unit for controlling the drive device are provided in the circular cableway, wherein the control unit is designed to use the first sensor signal and/or the second sensor signal to control the drive device. As a result, a desired response to the reception or interruption of one of the sensor signals can be triggered automatically, preferably a stopping or reducing of the conveyor speed of the cableway vehicles. This ensures the safety of persons even at times when no operating personnel are present or attentive.

The drive device may have a first drive unit for driving the conveyor cable and/or an auxiliary drive may be provided in the cableway station for moving the cableway vehicles decoupled from the conveyor cable from the entry zone to the exit zone, wherein the drive device may have a second drive unit for the auxiliary drive. This allows the conveyor cable drive to be stopped and/or the auxiliary drive to be stopped if a person is detected in the passage area or in the area of the safety barrier.

The control unit can also be designed to deactivate the number of first sensor units during operation of the circular cableway at times when a cableway vehicle is in the associated passage area or to ignore the first sensor values obtained from the number of first sensor units at times when a cableway vehicle is in the associated passage area. This allows the detection to be interrupted when the cableway vehicles are in the passage area.

Furthermore, it is advantageous if an alarm unit is provided in the circular cableway, which is indirectly or directly connected to a first sensor unit and/or to a second sensor unit via a communication link, and that the alarm unit is designed to generate an alarm signal when the first and/or the second sensor signal is received or interrupted. As a result, firstly the operating personnel can be made aware and also the other passengers within the cableway station.

The circular cableway may be designed as a chairlift, with the cableway vehicles each having a chair for a plurality of people, or the circular cableway may be configured as cabins, with the cableway vehicles each having a cabin for accommodating a plurality of people. The circular cableway may also be designed as a combined lift having chairs and cabins. This allows the circular cableway to be optimally adapted to the desired intended use and transport capacity.

It is advantageous if between the interior safety barrier of the entry zone and the interior safety barrier of the exit zone a first structural separation is provided which blocks access for people from the boarding/alighting area to a prohibited area of the cableway station. In addition, it may be advantageous if between the exterior safety barrier of the entry zone and the exterior safety barrier of the exit zone a second structural separation is provided which blocks access for people from the boarding/alighting area to a surrounding area of the cableway station, wherein a transit area for passengers is provided in the second structural separation to connect the boarding/alighting area with the surrounding area. This enables the boarding/alighting area to be partitioned off on all sides, so that the risk of bypassing the safety barriers or the detection device is reduced.

In addition, a barrier, preferably an automatic door, for selectively blocking and unblocking the transit area could be provided in the transit area and/or a second detection device could be provided for detecting people in the transit area. It would also be conceivable for a reader to be provided in the area of the transit area for reading a ticket of the circular cableway, and for the reader to be designed to control the barrier as a function of a validity of the ticket. This allows a high degree of automation to be achieved.

A distance between a movable part of a safety barrier in the closed position and a cableway vehicle located in the passage area, viewed transversely to the conveying direction, is preferably less than 50 cm, particularly preferably less than 30 cm. This reduces the risk of people leaving the boarding/alighting area by passing between the safety barrier and a cableway vehicle located in the passage area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings, which illustrate the best presently known mode of carrying out the disclosure and wherein similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout all views.

FIG. 1 is a view from above of a circular cableway in the form of a chairlift according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cableway station of a chairlift.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of technology is merely exemplary in nature of the subject matter, manufacture and use of one or more inventions, and is not intended to limit the scope, application, or uses of any specific invention claimed in this application or in such other applications as may be filed claiming priority to this application, or patents issuing therefrom. The following definitions and non-limiting guidelines must be considered in reviewing the description of the technology set forth herein.

The headings (such as “Background” and “Summary”) and sub-headings used herein are intended only for general organization of topics within the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the disclosure of the technology or any aspect thereof. In particular, subject matter disclosed in the “Introduction” may include novel technology and may not constitute a recitation of prior art. Subject matter disclosed in the “Summary” is not an exhaustive or complete disclosure of the entire scope of the technology or any embodiments thereof. Classification or discussion of a material within a section of this specification as having a particular utility is made for convenience, and no inference should be drawn that the material must necessarily or solely function in accordance with its classification herein when it is used in any given composition.

The citation of references herein does not constitute an admission that those references are prior art or have any relevance to the patentability of the technology disclosed herein. All references cited in the “Description” section of this specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The description and specific examples, while indicating embodiments of the technology, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the technology. Moreover, recitation of multiple embodiments having stated features is not intended to exclude other embodiments having additional features, or other embodiments incorporating different combinations of the stated features. Specific examples are provided for illustrative purposes of how to make and use the apparatus and systems of this technology and, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are not intended to be a representation that given embodiments of this technology have, or have not, been made or tested.

“A” and “an” as used herein indicate “at least one” of the item is present; a plurality of such items may be present, when possible. “About” when applied to values indicates that the calculation or the measurement allows some slight imprecision in the value (with some approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If, for some reason, the imprecision provided by “about” is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then “about” as used herein indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring or using such parameters. In addition, disclosure of ranges includes disclosure of all distinct values and further divided ranges within the entire range.

FIG. 1 shows a circular cableway 1 in an advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, the circular cableway 1 is configured as a chairlift and has, in a known manner, two cableway stations 2 between which a conveyor cable 3 runs in a closed loop. For a better representation of the cableway stations 2, the area between the cableway stations 2 is not shown, as symbolized by the interrupted conveyor cable 3. As is known, depending on the length and topography, a plurality of (not shown) cableway supports can be provided between the cableway stations 2, on which the conveyor cable 3 is guided. For guiding, so-called sheave assemblies are usually provided, each having a plurality of rotatably mounted sheaves arranged one behind the other in the conveying direction F. In each of the cableway stations 2, a cable sheave 4 is provided around which the conveyor cable 3 is deflected, for example by 180°.

Furthermore, several cableway vehicles 5 are provided in the circular cableway 1, with only two cableway vehicles 5 per cableway station 2 being shown here. The representation of the cableway vehicles 5 between the cableway stations 2 was omitted. Since the circular cableway 1 is designed as a chairlift, the cableway vehicles 5 each have a chair for accommodating a number of passengers. While chairs were often designed to accommodate two or four people in the past, chairs are now usually designed to accommodate six or eight people, resulting in a higher transport capacity. The cableway vehicles 5 each have a hanger with which the chair can be attached to the conveyor cable 3 in a suspended and generally detachable manner. For detachable attachment, an operable cable clamp (not shown) is usually provided at the upper end of the hanger. The cableway vehicles 5 can be friction-locked to the conveyor cable 3 in a known manner via the cable clamps.

When entering a cableway station 2, the cable clamps can be opened and the cableway vehicles 5 can be decoupled from the conveyor cable 3. This allows the cableway vehicles 5 to be slowed down and moved through the cableway station 2 at reduced speed. When leaving the cableway station 2, the cableway vehicles 5 can be accelerated again to the speed of the conveyor cable 3 and can again be coupled to the conveyor cable 3 by closing the cable clamps. In order to be able to move the cableway vehicles 5 through the cableway stations 2 in the uncoupled state, guide rollers are generally arranged on the cableway vehicles 5 and guide rails 6 are provided in the cableway stations 2 along which the cableway vehicles 5 are guided. The cable clamps are usually actuated by means of a (not shown) stationary actuating device within the cableway station 2, for example a known mechanical positive guide.

A drive device 7 for driving the cableway vehicles 5 is also provided in the circular cableway 1. The drive device 7 may have at least a first drive unit 7 a, for example in the form of an electric machine, which is used to drive the conveyor cable 3. The first drive unit 7 a is arranged in at least one of the cableway stations 2. For this purpose, the first drive unit 7 a can drive the cable sheave 4 of the respective cableway station 2. For moving the cableway vehicles 5 in the uncoupled state within the cableway stations 2, a separate auxiliary drive 8 is usually provided in each cableway station 2. The drive device 7 of the circular cableway 1 therefore preferably also has at least a second drive unit 7 b, for example an electric machine, for the auxiliary drive 8. In a known manner, the auxiliary drive 8 may have a plurality of wheels (not shown) arranged along the guide rail 6 and which may be driven by the second drive unit 7 b. A suitable friction lining may be provided on the cableway vehicles 5 with which the wheels interact to drive the cableway vehicle 5.

The drive device 7 is controlled by a control unit 9, which may have suitable hardware and/or software. The control unit 9 can, for example, be arranged in a possibly existing operating room 10 of the cableway station or at another suitable location of the cableway station 2. The control unit 9 is designed to control the drive device 7 in order to move the cableway vehicles 5 in a conveying direction F. On free stretches between the cableway stations 2, the conveying direction F is determined by the course of the conveyor cable 3. Within the cableway stations 2, the conveying direction F is defined by the course of the guide rails 6. The control unit 9 is here connected to the first drive unit 7 a and to the second drive unit 7 b.

In the example shown, the left cableway station 2 is a valley station and the right cableway station 2 is a mountain station. In the left cableway station 2, a boarding area 11 is provided where passengers can board the cableway vehicles 5, and in the right cableway station 2, an alighting area 11 is provided where passengers can alight the cableway vehicles 5. The boarding area 11 and the alighting area 11 are shown hatched. Of course, this is only to be understood as an example, and a combined boarding/alighting area 11 could of course also be provided, which is intended both for boarding and for alighting. This can be the case in particular for cabin lifts. Similarly, of course, a separate boarding area 11 for boarding only and a separate alighting area 11 for alighting only can be arranged within the same cableway station 2, e.g., one behind the other in conveying direction F. The boarding area 11 and the alighting area 11 could, for example, be immediately adjacent to each other or spaced apart from each other.

Each boarding area 11 is delimited in the conveying direction F by an entry zone E for cableway vehicles 5 entering the boarding area 11 and by an exit zone A for cableway vehicles 5 exiting the boarding area 11. In an analogous manner, each alighting area 11 is delimited in the conveying direction F by an entry zone E for cableway vehicles 5 entering the alighting area 11 and by an exit zone A for cableway vehicles 5 exiting the alighting area 11. The boarding/alighting area 11 is thus to be understood as the area of the cableway station 2 in which passengers are allowed to stay. Passenger access to an area of the cableway station 2 that is outside the boarding/alighting area 11 is not permitted for safety reasons.

In the entry zone E and/or in the exit zone A of at least one boarding/alighting area 11 of at least one cableway station 2, two safety barriers 12 a, 12 b are provided, arranged opposite each other transversely to the conveying direction F, which can be displaced from a closed position to an open position. A passage area D for cableway vehicles 5 passing through is formed between the safety barriers 12 a, 12 b, and a detection device for detecting people in the passage area D is provided. In the example shown, two safety barriers 12 a, 12 b are provided in each of the entry zone E and the exit zone A of the boarding area 11 of the left cableway station 2, and two safety barriers 12 a, 12 b are provided in each of the entry zone E and the exit zone A of the alighting area 11 of the right cableway station 2. In addition, a detection device is provided in each of the four passage areas D for detecting people located in the respective passage area D. Further details are described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2 .

In FIG. 2 , a cableway station 2 is shown in a perspective view. The cableway station 2 shown corresponds to the left cableway station in FIG. 1 . The safety barriers 12 a, 12 b each have a stationary part and a part movable relative to the stationary part. For example, the stationary part may have a vertical post and the movable part may have a movable separating element which is hinged to the post, for example with a hinge. The stationary part can be fastened, for example, to the base of the cableway station 2 or, if necessary, also to a stationary building structure of the cableway station 2. In the closed position, the two movable parts of two opposite safety barriers 12 a, 12 b face one another and are substantially parallel, preferably aligned, as indicated in FIG. 1 .

The detection devices may be integrated in the opposite safety barriers 12 a, 12 b, for example in the stationary part, or may also be arranged on a stationary building part of the cableway station 2, preferably laterally, below or above a cableway vehicle 5 located in the passage area D. The specific arrangement depends, for example, on the type of detection device used and on the intended use of the circular cableway 1. For example, in chairlifts, an arrangement in the ground is unfavorable because it is covered by snow, while in urban applications an arrangement in the ground can be advantageous.

Preferably, a distance L between a safety barrier 12 a, 12 b (in particular the movable part) and a cableway vehicle 5 located in the associated passage area D, viewed transversely to the conveying direction F, is less than 50 cm, less than 30 cm. This prevents a person from passing through the space between the cableway vehicle 5 and the closed safety barrier 12 a, 12 b. This allows a passage to be blocked, for example, even outside operating hours by stopping the cableway vehicle 5 in the passage area D.

The detection devices each have a (schematically shown) first sensor unit S1 which is designed to generate a first sensor signal X1 when a person is detected in the associated passage area D. Alternatively, the first sensor unit S1 can also interrupt an existing sensor signal X1 when a person is detected. The first sensor unit S1 may, for example, have an optical sensor, preferably a light barrier, a light curtain, or a light grid. Alternatively or additionally, the first sensor unit S1 may also have a motion detector, preferably an infrared sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, or a sound sensor. In principle, any sensor can be used that is suitable for detecting a person and that can withstand the expected weather conditions.

In a known manner, a light barrier has a light beam source (e.g., with a number of light-emitting diodes or infrared light-emitting diodes) as the transmitter and a sensor (e.g., with a number of photodiodes) as the receiver. A light barrier can be designed as a through-beam light barrier in which the transmitter and receiver are arranged opposite of one another. A light barrier can also be designed as a reflection light barrier, in which the transmitter and receiver are arranged next to one another and the light beam is reflected in the direction of the receiver via an opposite suitable reflection element (e.g., a mirror). In the context of the present disclosure, a light barrier has a single light beam. A light curtain and a light grid have substantially the same function but have a plurality of light beams. A light curtain can have, for example, a plurality of light barriers with parallel light beams. A light grid may additionally have further light barriers with non-parallel light beams, for example, a plurality of horizontal light beams and a plurality of vertical light beams. In general, a larger area in the passage area can be covered by increasing the number of light beams.

In the example shown in FIG. 2 , the light barrier or light curtain could, for example, be arranged in the entry zone E and/or in the exit zone A in such a way that the detection area covered by the light beams is only below a passing cableway vehicle 5 in the passage zone D. As a result, cableway vehicles passing through would not be detected by the light barrier or the light grid, but only any objects or body parts that protrude downwards over the profile of the cableway vehicle into the detection area. For this purpose, the light barrier or the light curtain can, for example, be arranged in the lower area of the opposing safety barriers 12 a, 12 b, e.g., on the stationary part in each case.

A second sensor unit S2 (shown schematically) is provided on each of the safety barriers 12 a, 12 b, which is designed to generate a second sensor signal X2 when the safety barrier 12 a, 12 b, in particular the movable part, is moved from the closed position to an open position. In a simple embodiment, the second sensor unit S2 may, for example, have an electrical switch, e.g., a contact switch, which is triggered as soon as the movable part is moved out of the closed position. Of course, any other suitable sensor can also be used here. Again, the second sensor unit S2 could interrupt an existing sensor signal X2 when the safety barrier 12 a, 12 b is actuated.

The first sensor units S1 and the second sensor units S2 are connected to the control unit 9 of the circular cableway 1 via a suitable (wired or wireless) communication link. The control unit 9 is designed to use the first sensor signal X1 and/or the second sensor signal X2 to control the drive device 7 of the circular cableway 1. As has already been described, the drive device 7 preferably has a first drive unit 7 a for driving the conveyor cable 3 and, for each cableway station 2, a second drive unit 7 b for the auxiliary drive 8. The control unit 9 is preferably designed to stop the drive device 7 (for example the first and/or the second drive unit 7 a, 7 b) or to reduce a conveying speed of the cableway vehicles 5 when the control unit 9 receives at least a first sensor signal X1 of a first sensor unit S1 and/or receives at least a second sensor signal X2 of a second sensor unit S2 (or alternatively when one or both signals X1, X2 are interrupted).

The first sensor units S1 can be operated discontinuously, for example. The control unit 9 can, for example, be designed to automatically deactivate the first sensor units S1 at the times when the cableway vehicles 5 pass through the associated passage areas D. In this way, it can be avoided that the first sensor units S1 generate first sensor signals X1 when the cableway vehicles 5 pass through the passage areas D and that the first sensor signals X1 are erroneously used to control the circular cableway 1 (stopping or reducing the speed). Alternatively, the first sensor units S1 could also be operated continuously. The control unit 9 can be designed to automatically ignore the first sensor signals X1 received at the times when the cableway vehicles 5 pass through the associated passage areas D, for example by means of a suitable algorithm stored in the control unit 9. The times are essentially dependent on the specific design of the circular cableway 1 (e.g., type or length of the cableway vehicles 5 and distance between the cableway vehicles 5) as well as on the conveying speed and can be regarded as known.

However, the first sensor units S1 could in principle also have suitable sensors designed to distinguish people from objects (in particular the cableway vehicles 5), for example temperature sensors for detecting the surface temperature, such as infrared sensors.

By means of the present disclosure, the control unit 9 in the example according to FIG. 1 can thus stop the operation, for example, if a person in the boarding area 11 of the left cableway station 2 actuates one of the safety barriers 12 a, 12 b in the entry zone E or one of the safety barriers 12 a, 12 b in the exit zone A, or if a person in the alighting area 11 of the right cableway station 2 actuates one of the safety barriers 12 a, 12 b in the entry zone E or one of the safety barriers 12 a, 12 b in the exit zone A. The control unit 9 can also stop operation when a person in the boarding area 11 of the left cableway station 2 enters the passage area D of the entry zone E or the passage area D of the exit zone A, or when a person in the alighting area 11 of the right cableway station 2 enters the passage area D of the entry zone E or the passage area D of the exit zone A.

A stepwise disconnection would also be conceivable. For example, when a safety barrier 12 a, 12 b is actuated, initially only the conveying speed could be reduced and only when a second sensor signal X2 is received (i.e., when a person is detected in a passage area D) could the circular cableway 1 be stopped completely. The normal operation of the circular cableway 1 is preferably only resumed once it has been ensured that no person is still located in the danger zone. This can be done, for example, again automatically via the detection devices as a function of the second sensor signal X2 of the second sensor unit S2. If operating personnel are present, a visual inspection by an operator is preferred, of course. In addition, for example, a camera could also be provided for recording the boarding/alighting area 11. This also allows remote monitoring, e.g., from another cableway station 2. In the example according to FIG. 1 , for example, a camera for monitoring the boarding area 11 could be provided in the left cableway station 2 and a screen for displaying the camera images could be provided in the control room 10 of the right cableway station 2. The circular cableway 1 could then be stopped automatically by the detection device, for example, when a person is detected in the left cableway station 2 (where no cableway personnel are present). An operator in the right cableway station 2 could use the camera images to check whether and when the person in the left cableway station 2 has left the danger zone again and restart the circular cableway 1.

An alarm unit 13 may also be provided in the circular cableway 1, which is connected to the first sensor units S1 and/or to the second sensor units S2 via a suitable (wireless or wired) communication link. The connection can be made indirectly via the control unit 9 or directly by connecting the sensor units S1, S2 directly to the alarm unit 13. The alarm unit 13 is adapted to generate an alarm signal 13 a when the alarm unit 13 receives a first sensor signal X1 and/or a second sensor signal X2. The specific design of the alarm unit 13 can be selected in a suitable manner. For example, the alarm unit 13 may have a speaker to generate an audible alarm signal 13 a. Alternatively or additionally, the alarm unit 13 could, for example, also have a signal lamp in order to generate a visual alarm signal 13 a. Alternatively or additionally, the alarm unit 13 could, for example, also be designed to generate and send an electrical alarm signal 13 a to a user interface, e.g., a display screen, of the circular cableway 1. A corresponding message can be displayed on the user interface. It would also be conceivable to transmit the electrical alarm signal 13 a to a mobile device and display a message on the mobile device.

In the example shown, the circular cableway 1 is designed as a chairlift, with the cableway vehicles 5 each having a chair for a plurality of people. As was mentioned at the beginning, however, the circular cableway could of course also be designed as a cabin lift with the cableway vehicles 5 each having a cabin for accommodating a plurality of people. However, the circular cableway 1 could also be designed as a combined lift, i.e., a combination of chairlift and cabin lift, allowing mixed operation. Here, a certain number of cableway vehicles 5 having chairs and a certain number of cableway vehicles 5 having cabins are moved alternately in conveying direction F. However, the basic functions are the same for a cabin lift or a combined lift, so there is no detailed description here. Only the cableway stations 2 are designed somewhat differently from the chairlift shown. The cableway stations 2 of a combined cableway have both a boarding/alighting area 11 for the chair vehicles and a boarding/alighting area 11 for the cabin vehicles. The corresponding cableway vehicles 5 can be transported to the associated boarding/alighting area 11 via suitable switches in the guide rails 6. Preferably, therefore, safety barriers 12 a, 12 b and detection devices within the meaning of the present disclosure are provided both in the boarding/alighting areas 11 for the chairs and in the boarding/alighting areas 11 for the cabins.

As shown in FIG. 2 , it may be advantageous if between the interior safety barrier 12 a of the entry zone E and the interior safety barrier 12 a of the exit zone A of a boarding/alighting area 11 a first structural separation 14 is provided which blocks access for people from the boarding/alighting area 11 to a prohibited area V of the cableway station 2. This can prevent people from entering a prohibited area V without being detected by a safety barrier 12 a. As can be seen in FIG. 2 , the first structural separation 14 may be, for example, a column of the cableway station 2. For example, the interior safety barriers 12 a may be attached directly to the structural separation 14 or may be spaced sufficiently close thereto that people cannot pass.

In the example shown, also between the exterior safety barrier 12 b of the entry zone E and the exterior safety barrier 12 b of the exit zone A of the boarding/alighting area 11 a second structural separation 15 is provided which blocks access for people from the boarding/alighting area 11 to a surrounding area U of the cableway station 2. In the second structural separation 15, a transit area 16 for passengers of the circular cableway 1 is thereby preferably provided, which connects the boarding/alighting area 11 with the surrounding area U. The second structural separation 15 may, for example, be designed as a fence or as part of a building structure of the cableway station 2. A barrier (not shown), for example a preferably automatic door, may also be provided in the transit area 16 to block the transit area 16. Additionally or alternatively, a second detection device could also be provided in the transit area 16 for detecting people in the transit area 16. For substantially completely unattended operation, for example a reader for reading a ticket of the circular cableway 1 may also be provided in the transit area 16 which controls the barrier as a function of a validity of the ticket.

The preferred embodiments of the disclosure have been described above to explain the principles of the present disclosure and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to utilize the present disclosure. However, as various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings, including all materials expressly incorporated by reference herein, shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by the above-described exemplary embodiment but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A circular cableway having at least two cableway stations and a plurality of cableway vehicles movable between the cableway stations by a conveyor cable, each of the cableway stations having at least one boarding/alighting area that is delimited in a conveying direction by an entry zone and by an exit zone, the circular cableway further comprising: at least one pair of opposing safety barriers in at last one of the entry zone or the exit zone of at least one boarding/alighting area, each of the pair of opposing safety barriers arranged opposite one another transversely to the conveying direction and which can be displaced from a closed position to an open position; and at least one detection device for detecting people in a passage area located between the pair of opposing safety barriers and through which the cableway vehicles may pass or when one of the pair of opposing safety barriers is displaced from the closed position to the open position.
 2. The circular cableway according to claim 1, wherein at least one part of the detection device is integrated in at least one of the pair of opposing safety barriers or on a stationary building part of the cableway station.
 3. The circular cableway according to claim 2, wherein the at least one part of the detection device arranged on a stationary building part of the cableway station is configured laterally below or above a cableway vehicle located in the passage area.
 4. The circular cableway according to claim 1, wherein the at least one detection device further comprises at least one of: at least one first sensor unit configured to generate or interrupt a first sensor signal when a person is detected in the passage area; or at least one second sensor unit provided on at least one of the pair of opposing safety barriers and configured to generate or interrupt a second sensor signal when the safety barrier is displaced from the closed position to the open position.
 5. The circular cableway according to claim 4, wherein the at least one first sensor unit comprises at least one of an optical sensor or a motion detector.
 6. The circular cableway according to claim 5, wherein the optical sensor comprises at least one of a light barrier, a light curtain, or a light grid, and wherein the motion detector comprises at least one of an infrared sensor, an electromagnetic sensor, or a sound sensor.
 7. The circular cableway according to claim 4, wherein the at least one second sensor unit comprises an electric switch.
 8. The circular cableway according to claim 4, further comprising a drive device for driving the cableway vehicles and a control unit for controlling the drive device and wherein the control unit is configured to receive at least one of the first sensor signal or the second sensor signal and to adjust control of the drive device at least in part as a function of at least one of the first sensor signal or second sensor signal.
 9. The circular cableway according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to stop the drive device or to reduce a conveying speed of the cableway vehicles when at least one of the first or the second sensor signals is received or interrupted.
 10. The circular cableway according to claim 8, wherein the cableway station comprises an auxiliary drive operable to move cableway vehicles uncoupled from the conveyor cable from the entry zone to the exit zone and wherein the drive device comprises a first drive unit configured to drive the conveyor cable and a second drive unit for the auxiliary drive.
 11. The circular cableway according claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to deactivate the first sensor unit or to ignore the first sensor signal when a cableway vehicle is located in the passage area.
 12. The circular cableway according to claim 4, further comprising an alarm unit connected with at least one of the first sensor unit or the second sensor unit, and wherein the alarm unit is configured to generate an alarm signal when at least one of the first sensor signal or the second sensor signal is received or interrupted.
 13. The circular cableway according to claim 1, wherein at least one cableway vehicle comprises at least one of a chair or a cabin for accommodating a plurality of people.
 14. The circular cableway according to claim 1, wherein each pair of opposing safety barriers comprises an interior safety barrier and further comprising a first structural separation between an interior safety barrier of the entry zone and an interior safety barrier of the exit zone that is configured to block access from the boarding/alighting area to a prohibited area of the cableway station.
 15. The circular cableway according to claim 1, wherein each pair of opposing safety barriers comprises an exterior safety barrier and further comprising a second structural separation between an exterior safety barrier of the entry zone and an exterior safety barrier of the exit zone that is configured to at least partially block access from the boarding/alighting area to a surrounding area of the cableway station, and a transit area in the second structural separation that is configured to connect the boarding/alighting area to the surrounding area.
 16. The circular cableway according to claim 15, further comprising at least one of: a barrier configured in the transit area and operable for selectively blocking and unblocking the transit area; and a second detection device configured to detect people in the transit area.
 17. The circular cableway according to claim 16, further comprising a reader configured to read a ticket and to control the barrier as a function of a validity of the ticket.
 18. The circular cableway according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pair of opposing safety barriers is movable and wherein the movable part of the safety barrier in the closed position is separated from a cableway vehicle in the passage area by a distance of less than 50 cm.
 19. A method for operating the circular cableway according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: providing a drive device for driving the cableway vehicles and a control unit for controlling the drive device and wherein the control unit is operable to receive at least one signal from the at least on detection device; determining with the at least one detection device if at least one of the safety barriers has been displaced from the closed position to the open position or detecting a person in the passage area and transmitting a detection signal from the at least one detection device to the control unit as a result of such determination; receiving the detection signal in the control unit and transmitting a control signal from the control unit to the drive device to stop operation of the drive device or reduce conveying speed of the cableway vehicles.
 20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of generating an alarm signal in response to the detection signal indicating that at least of the safety barriers has been displaced from the closed position to the open position or a person has been detected in the passage area. 